I recently gave a talk about Scottish football literature - and the lack of it - at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. This was at a symposium on sport in the arts, hosted by the British Society of Sports History. The main thrust of my presentation was the lack of Scottish novels about football, despite it playing such a prominent part in our daily lives, and despite several high profile contemporary authors being football fans. You can read the full illustrated talk by clicking here. Please feel free to leave any comments below.

It was a pity I could not attend but thanks for putting your talk on your website. One recent book worth a mention is "Soldier's Story" by James Killlgore. It is for younger readers - particularly Hearts supporters - and is novel that weaves in the story of McCrae's Battalion.

Reply

Douglas Gorman

7/9/2015 11:39:16 am

My apologies to author James Killgore - his excellent book is titled "Soldier's game".

Scottish football literature is a rich source of knowledge wherein, everyone can learn and know the inner history of football, in general. But you are also right on point that focusing on the not-so-positive thing about it should also be discussed. It's just right that people should know and be educated by this rich history and literature that Scottish football has.

Too late for your article but I can add another to this small selection: A Man's Game - written by myself and published on Ringwood Publishing in December 2015. It's a crime story with a dose of social commentary set amongst the football fraternity of Glasgow and Cowdenbeath!